T O EN F J TM U R ST U.S. Department of Justice A I P C E E D B O J C S F A V Office of Justice Programs F M O I N A C I J S R E BJ G O OJJ DP O F PR National Institute of Justice JUSTICE National Institute of Justice Research Forum Proceedings of the Homicide Research Working Group Meetings, 1997 and 1998 1997: Policy, Practice, and Homicide Research 1998: Bridging the Gaps: Collaborations on Lethal Violence Research, Theory, and Prevention Policy U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street N.W. Washington, DC 20531 Janet Reno Attorney General Raymond C. Fisher Associate Attorney General Laurie Robinson Assistant Attorney General Noël Brennan Deputy Assistant Attorney General Jeremy Travis Director, National Institute of Justice Office of Justice Programs National Institute of Justice World Wide Web Site World Wide Web Site http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij Proceedings of the Homicide Research Working Group Meetings, 1997 and 1998 May 1999 NCJ 175709 Jeremy Travis Director Findings and conclusions of the research reported here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. The National Institute of Justice is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. Table of Contents 1997: Policy, Practice, and Homicide Research......................................1 Discussion 1997 Keynote Kick-Off: What Works? David Kennedy...............................................................3 Building Bridges Between Research and Practice: Youth Violence Prevention Rich Rosenfeld and Troy Miles Anthony Braga, David Kennedy, and Tito Whittington Don Faggiani and Colleen McLaughlin.............................................4 Bridging the Gaps for the Virginia “Cradle-to-Grave” Homicide Project Colleen R. McLaughlin Donald Faggiani Jack Daniel Thomas J. Dover.............................................................10 The Rewarding and Painful Process of Collaboration to Prevent Domestic Violence Jacquelyn Campbell Carolyn Rebecca Block Deborah Spungen Linda Langford..............................................................14 Notes From a Collaborative Project: Risk of Serious Injury or Death in Intimate Violence Carolyn Rebecca Block........................................................18 The Houston Homicide Project: A Comparison of US and Canadian Findings on Uxoricide Risk for Women with Children Sired by Previous Partners Victoria E. Brewer Kelly R. Damphousse Derek J. Paulsen..............................................................22 Partner Homicide in Massachusetts, 1991-1995: A Collaboration Between Advocates and Academics Linda Langford..............................................................28 Methodological Challenges to Evaluating the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Law Daniel W. Webster............................................................31 iii Evaluating the Brady Act and Increasing the Utility of BATF Tracing Data Gary Kleck..................................................................36 Race, Class and Homicide: Looking Beyond Guns, Drugs, and Gangs Roland Chilton...............................................................48 Demography and Lethal Violence Allan F. Abrahamse...........................................................54 What Works? Using Firearm Tracing Information in Violence Reduction Intervention Projects John Firman Paul Blackman Joseph Vince Anthony Braga David Kennedy..............................................................58 The Limitations on BATF Firearms Tracing Data for Policymaking and Homicide Research Paul H. Blackman............................................................61 Gangs Drugs and Youth Violence Recorder Notes..............................................................77 Gangs, Race/Ethnicity and Houston Homicide in the 1990s Kelly R. Damphousse Victoria E. Brewer Cary D. Adkinson............................................................80 Today’s Music and Youth Violence Kathleen M. Heide............................................................93 Area Research on Homicide: Discussion Notes Lin Huff-Corzine............................................................105 Appendix A Agenda....................................................................108 1998: Bridging the Gaps: Collaborations on Lethal Violence Research, Theory, and Prevention Policy........................................................115 1998 Keynote Address School Shootings and School Violence: What’s Going On and Why? Kathleen M. Heide...........................................................116 iv Session 1: Essentials of Violence Surveillance Data Responses by Lois Fingerhut...................................................131 Injury Surveillance Using Data From the National Center for Health Statistics Lois A. Fingerhut............................................................133 On Intimate Partner Homicides in Massachusetts Linda Langford Nancy Isaac Stacey Kabat...............................................................143 An Evaluation of the Completeness and Accuracy of SHR Data in Chicago, 1993 and 1994 Thomas D. Patterson Daniel Dick Carolyn Rebecca Block.......................................................148 The Surveillance Value of “Bad” Data: Using Obliterated Serial Number Data in a Firearm Surveillance System Bill Sherlock David Krieghbaum...........................................................152 Situational Factors Related to Public Mass Murder Incidents: 1965-1998 Thomas A. Petee............................................................154 D.C. Jail Gun Identification and Style Survey John May Khalid Pitts Earnest Williams Roger Oen.................................................................157 Exploring Circumstances of Prior Gunshot Wounds Among Jail Detainees John May Roger Oen Khalid Pitts................................................................158 The Spousal SROK Revisited: A Comparison of Houston and Chicago Intimate Partner Homicide Derek J. Paulsen Victoria E. Brewer...........................................................159 Spatial-Temporal Clustering of Chicago Homicides Margo Wilson Martin Daly................................................................160 v Development of an Ultrasonic Method for Restoration of Obliterated Serial Numbers on Firearms Yari Yacobi................................................................164 Cohort Survival Projections of Homicide Victimization Allan F. Abrahamse..........................................................167 Decreasing Violent Gun Crimes in New York City: A Result of Vigorous Law Enforcement Efforts, Other Variables, or Both? Steven F. Roth..............................................................179 Homicide Trends 1947–1996: Short-Term Versus Long-Term Factors Thomas B. Marvell..........................................................195 Session 3: Collaborations Among Academics, Practitioners, and the Community Recorder: Lin Huff-Corzine....................................................209 The SECURE Program: Safety Enhanced Communities Utilizing Resident Endeavors Richard Block David Katz Laura Herrin................................................................212 Youth, Firearms and Violence in Atlanta: A Problem-Solving Approach Dawna D. Fuqua-Whitley Arthur L. Kellermann.........................................................253 Media Portrayal of Child Abuse: A Content Analysis of Australian Newspapers Ania Wilczynski.............................................................264 Reducing Youth Violence in the 21st Century Kathleen M. Heide, Ph.D......................................................265 Session 4: Integration: Theoretical Connections....................................285 Appendix A Agenda....................................................................290 Appendix B Meeting Participants.........................................................296 Please note that this document does not include all of the papers presented at the meetings, only those supplied to the National Institute of Justice by the authors. vi 1997: Policy, Practice, and Homicide Research Proceedings of the 1997 Meeting of the Homicide Research Working Group Discussion 1997 Keynote Kick-Off: What Works? Presenter: David Kennedy Recorder: Kathleen M. Heide, University of South Florida The keynote address generated a great deal of discussion from the audience. Participants noted that social policy involves ethical decisions and that policy analysis is an “art form,” which ideally involves a collaborative effort from the “number crunchers” to the “people in the trenches.” The challenge for researchers today is how to present practitioners and policymakers with useful information. It can be difficult to generate sound policy recommendations from research. However, sometimes researchers set their sights too high. Basic knowledge and recommendations that may seem simple and obvious may be helpful to practitioners and policymakers. In fact, sometimes “a non-answer,” that is, clarifying what does not work, may be invaluable to practitioners and policymakers because it leads them in more productive directions. Social scientists possess extensive knowledge which can be helpful if they can package in a way that others can hear it. 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